Getting around
Train
Doors closing.
The doors are closing.
You hear this when the doors close or the next stop is called. It is written down too, so a missed word does not end the ride.
Sydney
Australia
Sydney wraps around a deep harbour, with the centre on the south shore and ocean beaches to the east.
How the language is used
English is the everyday language of schools, shops, and the media, with Australian spelling and a local accent.
In this city
- Language
- English
- Also heard
- Chinese and Arabic
- A local word
- Brekkie — Breakfast.
- Writing
- the Latin alphabet
What people say
Ordinary lines from this city: the ride, the counter, the food, and the greeting.
The counter
Café
A flat white, thanks.
A flat white, thanks.
This line is a whole order. You do not need a longer sentence.
Food
Kiosk
How's it going?
How's it going?
The order is built in short pieces like this one.
The street
Shop
No worries.
No problem.
People keep this line short. It is enough for the moment.
The language through the day
English is the language of the ride, the shop, and the street.
In Newtown, Parramatta, Bondi, you also hear Chinese and Arabic.
A first day in Sydney can run on four lines: “Doors closing.”, “A flat white, thanks.”, “How's it going?”, and “No worries.”. Each one is already a complete moment.
If you are new here
- Stops, prices, and shop signs are written in the Latin alphabet.
- One everyday you-form covers most shops. Please and thanks do the polite work.
- If a spoken line goes past you, read the screen or the board. In Sydney, the stop and the price are written down.
One local word: Brekkie. It means Breakfast..
Places you can see
- Sydney Opera House — A sail-like concert hall on Bennelong Point, right beside the harbour.
- Sydney Harbour Bridge — A steel arch that carries road and rail across the harbour.
- Bondi Beach — An ocean beach east of the centre, with a cliff path along the coast.
Food
Cafés pour flat whites, and seafood grills and Asian kitchens line the harbour.
Getting around
Trains, ferries, and buses meet at the harbour, and a light rail crosses the centre.
Daily life
You can be in the surf in the morning and back among the office towers the same afternoon.
A few everyday phrases
English
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Hello | Hello |
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Good morning | Good morning |
| My name is… | My name is… |
